NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - Student activists are pushing for the suspension of a professor ​who has allegedly posted dozens of ​anti-Semitic posts on his Facebook profile.

The petition, started by Rutgers first-year-student Miriam Waghalter, asks that the university take “swift action” against Michael Chikindas, a microbiology professor at the food science department, for a myriad of racist and anti-Semitic posts.

Chikindas’ Facebook contained anti-Semitic characters, posts where he called “motherf***ing Jews,” the “most racist religion in the world,” and referring to Israel as a “terrorist country.” His Facebook has reportedly been deleted.

The ​revelation comes days after recruitment flyers for the white supremacist group Identity Evropa, were posted across campus, along with a flyer on one of the Rutgers buses which read “Black lives don’t matter.”

“It’s disturbing,” Waghalter said. “Even though we’re young adults, we still look up to faculty in order to help continue to shape our opinions of the world, and for someone of that stature, to be preaching these views, is problematic in that sense.”

Waghalter identifies ​herself ​as an Orthodox Jew, and since starting at Rutgers just over two months ago, has become involved with Rutgers Hillel, one of the university’s two Jewish student centers​ prominent on College Avenue.​

“It’s still an amazing place for Jews, the most amazing place for Jews,” Waghalter said, adding that she’s been involved with Hillel prayer services and the Scarlet Knights for Israel student organization.

“Faculty are the heart and soul of the university,” reads the petition. “If they are not held accountable when they promote racism and prejudice, then hatred and division will grow, to the detriment of our students, our beloved university and our whole society.”

Chikindas’ posts were first brought to light by blogger Aussie Dave and his page, IsraellyCool, which featured dozens of screenshots from Chikindas’ page, depicting anti-Semitic rants, photos and interactions with other Facebook users.

One of the posts Chikindas shared on May 25, from the page “End AIPAC,” depicts an “Anti-Semitism Card,” which reads “Get Out of Jail Free,” and shows the Monopoly game’s mascot flying out of a bird cage.

Another post on Chikindas’ page read, ““They can go f*** each other in their fat arses — you see, I do not have anything to loose, hence nothing to be controlled.”

In another post, Chikindas shows a woman carrying dozens of hundred dollar bills. Below the photo, Chikindas wrote in a comment that “One may only wonder: why on earth the simple Jewish female is carrying the $10K in her bag… Doesn’t it make you suspicious?”

Posts featured caricatures of Jews, depicting a Jewish man with a large nose, a yellow Star of David and malicious grin.

Rutgers-New Brunswick Chancellor Deb Dutta said that the university was certainly considering suspending Chikindas, and that they plan to be further investigating the violations​, as students across the campus express revulsion.​

“Rutgers’ position on free speech is clear: All of the members of our community, including faculty and staff, are free to express their viewpoints in public forums as private citizens,” wrote university spokesperson Neal Buccino. "Yet at Rutgers University we must also foster an environment free from discrimination, as articulated in our policy prohibiting discrimination.”

Buccino also confirmed that the university will be investigating Chikindas posts and determine the best course of action.

Other students​ expressed disbelief and shock​ as well, such as Rutgers sophomore Elisheva Strauss, who’s studying cell biology and neuroscience and also identifies as Jewish.

“Honestly, it’s something that scares me,” Strauss said. “It’s being in that class or being in that department, that’s something that I’m nervous about.”

Yet Strauss remained confident the university would stand up for her, and any ​other Rutgers ​student, who was being penalized by a professor or other university employee for their religious beliefs.

NUTLEY, NJ - A backhoe, front end loader, and a vacuum truck were among eight public work vehicles parked in a circle at Nutley’s Municipal Lot No. 1, located behind Philly Pretzel Factory on Saturday, May 5. The trucks were not there for township public-works or storm clean-up but for Nutley children to explore them safely at the annual Big Truck Day.

Newark, NJ—The house at 81 Summit Avenue in Newark's Weequahic neighborhood is otherwise unremarkable expect for a sign attached to its faux flagstone facade noting that the home has been designated a historic site -- the childhood home of celebrated author Philip Roth, who died Tuesday at the age of 85.

NUTLEY, NJ - Wonder Woman made an appearance in Nutley at the Nutley Historical Society's 'Ice Cream for History' event in 2017. She made the appearance just before the opening weekend of the hit movie 'Wonder Woman.'.

MONTCLAIR, NJ - In 2013, Amy Tingle and Maya Stein of Nutley founded The Creativity Caravan, initially and still as a mobile trailer, as a way to introduce and share art around the country without the limitations of location.

When they are not traveling, The Creativity Caravan holds monthly art shows at their intimate space in Montclair. This year focuses on female artists, and ...

Commissioner Steven Rogers, Director of the Nutley Department of Public Affairs Military and Veterans Affairs Bureau invites you to our fourth annual POW/MIA ceremony which will take place on Sunday, 2:00pm, May 27, 2018 at St. Mary’s Church, 17 Monsignor Owens Place, Nutley.

Please invite your friends, veterans and bring your children. This will be an ...

NUTLEY, NJ - The Hackensack Meridian Health Board of Trustees recently voted to establish a $100 million endowment fund for scholarships to Seton Hall Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine on the On3 campus in Nutley and Clifton NJ. The endowment will ensure top students can afford a medical education according to co-CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health Robert C.

WEST CALDWELL, NJ — The Original Pancake House in West Caldwell was evacuated early Saturday afternoon due to a possible pepper spray incident that caused ambulances from the West Essex, Verona and Bloomfield First Aid Squads to assist at the scene.

Bianca Pietro, a West Orange mother of two, said she was seated inside the glass atrium on the south side of the building that faces ...

NEWARK, NJ - It was about five minutes after Robert Dresnack’s Water Resources Engineering class had begun when a septuagenarian poked his head into the room at NJIT. Puzzled, the professor inquired, “May I help you?”

In fact, he could. “I’m a student in this class,” replied Chris Antholis, then 72, who was six years into his quest to earn a Bachelor of ...

SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD, NJ - It started with a collection to help fund a Memorial Day barbecue at the Valley Brook Village veterans facility in Lyons, NJ. When the bucket collection raised $7,000 at John's Meat Market in downtown Scotch Plains, they decided to keep it going and had barbecues all summer. The program has grown ever since.

LONG BEACH ISLAND, NJ - With much anticipation for warmer weather, longer days and salty seas, visitors flock back each year to the Long Beach Island Region to enjoy the many pleasures this resort area brings.

The Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce operates a fully staffed visitor center, who always sees demand for customer inquiries rise either through their digital platforms, ...

Whether you are new to the gym or a seasoned athlete, the winter weather can affect your body. In these cold conditions, muscles are forced to work harder to complete tasks. This extra effort can result in muscle soreness and damage to tissue. While you may not be able to avoid the cold, preventive measure can help avoid discomfort and injury. Learning and implementing sports therapy techniques, ...

NUTLEY, NJ - Pro Staff Institute is proud to announce their participation in Uber Health, a new transportation program designed to provide transportation to patients. Pro Staff Institute is the first physical therapy center in the nation to leverage Uber Health, and joins over other 100 health care organizations in the U.S., including hospitals, clinics, rehab centers and senior care ...

In my years of practice, I have yet to treat a couple whose relationship was not on the precipice of ruin at the time of first contact. Their intakes are rife with blame, and subsequent sessions reveal neither partner understands his/her role in the dysfunctional dyad. Though not impossible, it is daunting work for any therapist to help rebuild relationships demolished by ...

Many of us enter therapy struggling with external locus of control. We blame partners for dysfunctional relationships, accuse the universe of conspiring against us, or suggest demons assume command of our behavior. When these premises arise in therapy, I strive to help clients accept responsibility for their behaviors. Finding the word “Can’t” most often used by clients to avoid ...

The Nutley Free Public Library has a calendar full of events and programs for May 2018

Tuesday, May 1 at 2:00 Tuesday Afternoon Book Club at Nutley Parkside Apartments. The Nutley Public Library hosts a monthly book discussion at the Nutley Parkside Apartments, 7 William Street, the first Tuesday of each month. The book discussed will be On Chesil Beach by ...

Commissioner Mauro G. Tucci is proud to announce Carol Blazejowski, one of the most legendary trailblazers in women’s basketball will be instructing this 4 day Basketball Clinic from July 30 – August 2, 2018.

Blazejowski’s athletic accomplishments are numerous. She was named an All-American in 1976, 1977, and 1978, and won the first Wade Trophy for the ...

COMMISSIONER TUCCI INVITES YOUNGSTERS TO A COUNTDOWN TO KINDERGARTEN PICNIC
Calling all Nutley youngsters entering Kindergarten September 2018! Commissioner Mauro G. Tucci and the Department of Parks and Recreation have announced the addition of the Countdown to Kindergarten Recreation Picnic to help welcome our new students to their elementary school days!

Commissioner Mauro G. Tucci announces Spring Tennis Lesson registration is now open! The Nutley Department of Parks and Recreation offers a top quality tennis program, directed under the supervision of Barry Rubach, an accredited member of the U.S. Professional Tennis Association and former Collegiate Champion. Classes range in age groups starting in 1st grade and continuing through ...

The Jaffe Briefing will not publish from Thursday through Monday. A great Memorial Day to all!

OUR TAKE ON THE NEWS IN NEW JERSEY

SEASIDE HEIGHTS - Sex can be an almost-religious experience, but it seems a bit excessive to copulate under a statue of the Virgin Mary in a Catholic church's outdoor prayer garden. Yet, that's where ...

Currently, declining participation numbers, sports specialization, concussions, fatigue, both mental and physical, pressures to earn scholarships, and shrinking educational budgets, are the hottest topics in high school sports.

Nutley has seen a substantial shift in our participation numbers that has put some of our programs at risk. This, combined with ...

Just as I did last year at this time, I want to take a moment to write to you regarding season two of the Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why. The second season premieres, with tremendous promotion, on Netflix tomorrow, Friday, May 18.

The series, based on the 2007 young adult book of the same name, delves into the topic of teen suicide. During the first season, the main character, ...

Today, the unlikely problem surfaces. The average person chews 275 sticks of gum per year. With the amount of people in daily society, it’s no mystery why chewing gum is the second most littered item after cigarette butts. Did you know that gum is banned in Singapore?

On April 11th members of the New Jersey Base North of United States Submarine Veterans marked the 118 Birthday of The United States Submarine Force with their annual visit to the grave of the inventor of the modern submarine - John Holland. We conducted a brief tolling of the bells for our lost submarines with a prayer service at his grave at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Totowa NJ.

Lantern Hill resident Gabe Spera, like many older Americans, chooses to stay in the workforce.

Gabe Spera has come full circle in his career as a salesman. Sixty years ago, he was just starting out, making cold calls, meeting new people every day. After working his way up the ladder to vice president of sales for Hunt Imaging, he’s now right back where he started—and happier than ...

As a child, Donald Shauger grew up idolizing Thomas Edison. To Shauger, who often spent his childhood days taking his prized Edison phonograph to West Orange’s Thomas Edison National Historical Park, Edison epitomized the spirit of the hardworking West Orange community. In the eyes of a young child growing up in West Orange—a town where Edison left behind a substantial ...

Belleville, NJ – In response to a national call from the Surgeon General of the United States emphasizing the importance of Narcan, a life-saving medication that can stop or reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, the Center of Excellence for Latino Health at Clara Maass Medical Center will host training sessions in May and June to educate the community on the use of Opioids. The ...

What is the “final frontier” on the Earth's surface? Many people would say Alaska, the 49th state, which was added to the United States fifty years ago. Once one has traveled to that remote land, it is impossible to forget the magnificence of the terrain and beasts. Floating by ship in Glacier Bay, surrounded by ...

The Luna Stage, a Jersey theater gem, chose to revive its 1995 world premiere drama, The Man in Room 306, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the slaying of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Starring Jamil A.C. Mangan as Dr. King, this 90 minute production portrays Dr. King in the last hours of his life as he struggles to write a speech for the Poor ...

I wanted to like Into the Water by Paula Hawkins because I had enjoyed her previous novel, The Girl on the Train, which was a suspenseful thriller. However, when I finished reading the first part of the Into the Water, I realized that I had not absorbed anything that was happening in the story. I blamed myself for not paying ...

This week's feature will focus on TAPinto Paterson's franchisee, Steve Lenox. Find out how the current owner of a public affairs firm went from a former State Director for Senator Frank Lautenberg to a proud TAPinto franchisee for New Jersey's third largest city.